In this episode, host Jennifer Cookson, an R&D expert in the beauty industry, talks with Christina Ross, Director of Science at Credo Beauty, about clean beauty standards, product safety, and sustainability in the cosmetics industry. Christina shares insights from her experience overseeing the Credo Clean Standard and offers a deep dive into industry challenges, particularly around ingredient safety, transparency, and the environmental impact of cosmetics.
Key Takeaways:
• Clean Beauty Standards: The Credo Clean Standard is a 30-page document that includes guidelines for brands on clean formulations. It focuses on four pillars: people, packaging, planet, and ingredients.
• Regulatory Gaps: The US cosmetics industry is under-regulated, with no mandatory safety testing for new ingredients. Brands are responsible for ensuring their products' safety, which often leads to inconsistent standards.
• Ingredient Transparency: There’s a push for more transparency from raw material suppliers and manufacturers, especially concerning synthetic and natural ingredients. Christina emphasizes the need for more data on environmental and human health impacts.
• Sustainability and Packaging: Christina discusses the challenges of recycling cosmetic packaging and the need for more sustainable options in the industry, from ingredient sourcing to packaging.
• Consumer Safety: Consumers should be able to trust the products they buy, but there’s a need for more public education on ingredient safety, transparency, and the overall environmental impact of cosmetics.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
00:34 – Jennifer introduces Christina Ross, her role at Credo, and an overview of the Credo Clean Standard.
01:32 – Christina’s career journey and experiences in product stewardship.
02:31 – Developing the Credo Clean Standard: collaboration with toxicologists, scientists, policymakers, and industry stakeholders.
04:53 – The under-regulation of the cosmetics industry in the US and the slow pace of regulatory evolution.
06:14 – Discussion on ingredient safety, the lack of mandatory testing, and ongoing concerns around industry transparency.
09:03 – Ingredient safety assessments and the shift towards alternative testing methods.
10:56 – Dermal exposure and the potential long-term effects of low-level, chronic exposure to cosmetics.
13:17 – The debate around sunscreens, safety, and balancing public health concerns.
17:05 – Credo’s stance on chemical sunscreens and the need for more safety data.
22:17 – The challenges smaller brands face in meeting clean beauty standards and the investment required for safety testing.
25:39 – Consumers’ growing interest in sustainability, packaging, and ingredient safety.
29:43 – Challenges of recycling cosmetic packaging and developing sustainable packaging guidelines.
35:00 – The importance of transparency in ingredient sourcing and working with trustworthy suppliers.
41:34 – How to navigate transparency issues when working with contract manufacturers and raw material suppliers.
47:36 – Challenges in creating more sustainable ingredients and Credo’s commitment to improving environmental impact.
50:59 – Where to learn more about Credo Clean Standard and retail locations.